Storage device and server device

ABSTRACT

According to one embodiment, a storage device includes a memory, a controller, an interface unit, a switch, and a switch control unit. The memory stores data. The controller is configured to control writing of data to the memory and reading of data from the memory. The interface unit includes a first terminal, a second terminal, and a third terminal. The first terminal has an electrical status different between a case where the storage device and a first device are connected, and a case where the storage device and a second device are connected. Through the second terminal, voltage is applied by the first device to the storage device in the case where the storage device and the first device are connected, and a control signal is input from the second device to the storage device in the case where the storage device and the second device are connected. Through the third terminal, power is supplied to the storage device. The switch switches a connection status and a disconnection status. In the connection status, the third terminal and the controller are electrically connected. In the disconnection status, the third terminal and the controller are electrically disconnected. The switch control unit is configured to control the switch to switch the connection status and the disconnection status based on electrical statuses of the first terminal and the second terminal.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.16/152,712, filed Oct. 5, 2018, which is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 15/790,367, filed Oct. 23, 2017, now U.S. Pat. No.10,114,785 issued Oct. 30, 2018, which is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 14/824,418, filed Aug. 12, 2015, now U.S. Pat. No.9,811,489 issued Nov. 7, 2017, which claims the benefit of priority fromU.S. Provisional Application No. 62/131,746, filed on Mar. 11, 2015 andJapanese Patent Application No. 2015-052884, filed on Mar. 17, 2015; theentire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

Embodiments described herein relate generally to a storage device and aserver device.

BACKGROUND

Conventionally, there is known a storage device which is used inassembly with a host device such as a server.

Such a type of storage device is desirably used in each case where thestorage device is assembled in a plurality of server devices havingdifferent specifications while suppressing a defect.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exemplary perspective view illustrating a server devicewhich includes a storage device according to an embodiment;

FIG. 2 is an exemplary exploded perspective view illustrating thestorage device according to the embodiment;

FIG. 3 is an exemplary block diagram schematically illustrating theserver device according to the embodiment;

FIG. 4 is an exemplary block diagram schematically illustrating thestorage device according to the embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a table listing pin assignment of a power source interface ofSAS;

FIG. 6 is a table listing electrical statuses of pins P1 to P3 of thepower source interface of SAS according to the specifications (SAS1,SAS2, SAS2.1, and SAS3) of the interface of the server device;

FIG. 7 is an exemplary circuit diagram schematically illustrating aswitch control unit which is included in the storage device according tothe embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a table listing potentials of the respective parts of theswitch control unit which is included in the storage device, statuses ofthe switch, and specifications of the interfaces of the correspondingserver device according to the embodiment;

FIG. 9 is an exemplary sequence diagram illustrating transmission of asignal between the server device and the storage device according to theembodiment;

FIG. 10 is an exemplary block diagram schematically illustrating astorage device of a first modification;

FIG. 11 is an exemplary block diagram schematically illustrating astorage device according to a second modification;

FIG. 12 is an exemplary flowchart schematically illustrating aprocessing procedure performed by the storage device according to thesecond modification; and

FIG. 13 is an exemplary perspective view illustrating an electronicapparatus in which the storage device according to the embodiment isassembled.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In general, according to one embodiment, a storage device includes amemory, a controller, an interface unit, a switch, and a switch controlunit. The memory stores data. The controller is configured to controlwriting of data to the memory and reading of data from the memory. Theinterface unit includes a first terminal, a second terminal, and a thirdterminal. The first terminal has an electrical status different betweena case where the storage device and a first device are connected, and acase where the storage device and a second device are connected. Throughthe second terminal, voltage is applied by the first device to thestorage device in the case where the storage device and the first deviceare connected, and a control signal is input from the second device tothe storage device in the case where the storage device and the seconddevice are connected. Through the third terminal, power is supplied tothe storage device. The switch switches a connection status and adisconnection status. In the connection status, the third terminal andthe controller are electrically connected. In the disconnection status,the third terminal and the controller are electrically disconnected. Theswitch control unit is configured to control the switch to switch theconnection status and the disconnection status based on electricalstatuses of the first terminal and the second terminal.

Hereinafter, an exemplary embodiment and modifications of a storagedevice and a server device (a host device) will be described. Theconfiguration and the control (technical feature) described below andthe operation and the result (effect) brought from the configuration andthe control are given as a mere example. In addition, the embodiment andthe modifications described below include the similar components.Hereinafter, the similar components will be denoted with the samesymbols, and the redundant descriptions will not be repeated.

EMBODIMENT

FIG. 1 is an exemplary perspective view illustrating a server devicewhich includes a storage device according to the embodiment. A datacenter 1, for example, includes various devices such as a plurality ofserver farms 2, a router, and a switching hub, and various parts such ascables to connect these devices. Further, FIG. 1 illustrates one serverfarm 2. In addition, FIG. 1 illustrates a state in which one servermodule 5 is drawn out to the front side in the front and back direction.

The server farm 2 includes a rack 3, a plurality of module enclosures 4,and a plurality of server modules 5. In each module enclosure 4, theplurality of server modules 5 is stored. The module enclosure 4 storingthe plurality of server modules 5 forms a rack mount server. Further,the server of the data center 1 is not limited, and another server suchas a blade server may be employed. The data center 1, the server farm 2,and the server module 5 are an example of the server device, and may becalled a host device, a host system, a server system, or a storagesystem.

The rack 3 includes two struts 3 a. In the strut 3 a, a plurality ofscrew holes are provided. The two struts 3 a are disposed to beseparated from each other. The module enclosure 4 can be insertedbetween the two struts 3 a.

The module enclosure 4 includes an enclosure case 11 and a mountingmember 12. The module enclosure 4 may further include a power sourceunit which is stored in the enclosure case 11. In the enclosure case 11,for example, four module slots 13 are provided.

The mounting member 12 is extended toward the outside of the enclosurecase 11 in a lateral direction from the end portion in the front of theenclosure case 11. In the mounting member 12, a hole is provided tocorrespond to the screw hole of the strut 3 a. The mounting member 12,for example, is fixed to the strut 3 a of the rack 3 by a screw or abolt. Therefore, the module enclosure 4 is mounted on the rack 3.

The server module 5 can be inserted in the module slot 13 of theenclosure case 11. When the server module 5 is inserted in the moduleslot 13, for example, the power is supplied from the power source unitof the module enclosure 4. Further, the server module 5 may be suppliedwith the power from another device.

The server module 5, for example, includes a module case 21, a moduleboard 22, a control unit 23, a plurality of memories 24, a plurality offans 25, and a plurality of storage devices 100. The module case 21 isan example of a first housing, and for example, may be also called awall. The module board 22 is an example of a first board, and forexample may be also called a wiring board or a circuit board. The fan 25is an example of a blower unit, and for example may be also called acooling device. The control unit 23, for example, is a centralprocessing unit (CPU). The storage device 100 may be also called anapparatus, a storage, a device, an electronic apparatus, a module, acomponent, or the like. In this embodiment, the storage device 100, forexample, is a solid state drive (SSD), and may be also another devicesuch as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a hybrid hard disk drive (a hybridHDD). In addition, the storage device 100 may be not provided with ahousing depending on a usage or an application.

The module case 21, for example, has an open upper portion and is formedin a box of the almost rectangular shape which is extended in the frontand back direction. Further, the shape of the module case 21 is notlimited to the above shape, and for example may be formed in a box ofwhich the upper portion is closed. In the module case 21, the moduleboard 22, the control unit 23, the memory 24, the fan 25, the storagedevice 100, and other components are contained.

The module case 21 has a front panel 27. The front panel 27 is a wallwhich is provided in the end portion in the front of the module case 21.In the front panel 27, various connectors such as a USB connector areprovided.

The module board 22, for example, is a printed wiring board. Further,the module board 22 may be other boards. In the module board 22, thecontrol unit 23, the memory 24, the fan 25, the storage device 100, andother components are mounted directly or through other components.

The fan 25 is disposed between the control unit 23 (and the memory 24)and the storage device 100. By the operation of the fan 25, a flow ofthe air of the front and back direction occurs in the inner portion ofthe module case 21. By the air flow generated by the fan 25, the controlunit 23, the memory 24, the storage device 100, and other components canbe cooled down. Further, the air flow generated by the fan 25 may flowin another direction.

Each of the storage devices 100, for example, is contained in a drivecage which is mounted on the front panel 27.

FIG. 2 is an exemplary exploded perspective view illustrating thestorage device according to the embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 2,the storage device 100, for example, includes a case 101, a circuitboard 102, a plurality of memories 103, a controller 104, a plurality ofdata buffers 105, a plurality of capacitors 106, and an interface unit107.

The case 101, for example, may be called a cover, a cover unit, or awall. The circuit board 102, for example, may be called a substrate or awiring board. The memory 103, for example, may be called a storage unit,an element, or a component. The controller 104, for example, may becalled a control unit, an arithmetic processing unit, an element, or acomponent. The interface unit 107, for example, may be called aconnector or a connection unit.

The case 101, for example, includes a plurality of members (components)such as an upper case 111, a frame 112, and a lower case 113. Aplurality of members are coupled by fixing tools such as screws, and thecase 101 is formed. The case 101 includes a plurality of walls 101 a,and the components of the storage device 100 (that is, the circuit board102, the memory 103, the controller 104, the data buffer 105, thecapacitor 106, and the like) are contained in a space surrounded by thewalls 101 a. The case 101, for example, is made of a metal material suchas an aluminum alloy.

FIG. 3 is an exemplary block diagram schematically illustrating thesever device according to the embodiment. The control unit 23 of theserver module 5 serving as the server device includes a host controlunit 231, an abnormality detection unit 232, and a control signalgenerating unit 233. The host control unit 231 controls the operationsof the respective portions of the server module 5, a data writing to theplurality of storage devices 100, and a data reading from the pluralityof storage devices 100. The abnormality detection unit 232 detects anabnormality caused in the storage device 100. The abnormality of thestorage device 100, for example, may detect whether there is no responseto a command within a predetermined time, or whether the data writing orthe data reading in the storage device 100 is not ended even in excessof an expected or predetermined time. In a case where the abnormalitydetection unit 232 detects an abnormality in the storage device 100 forwhich a power on resetting is necessary, the control signal generatingunit 233 generates a control signal to perform the power on resetting.The control signal, for example, is a power disable signal. The powerdisable signal is a request for the storage device 100 of thedisconnection of switches SW1 and SW2 (see FIG. 7) which are provided ina power line in the storage device 100.

The data is transferred between the control unit 23 and the storagedevice 100 by connecting the interface unit 107 of the storage device100 and an interface unit 234 of the server module 5, and byelectrically connecting the pins provided in the interface units 107 and234.

FIG. 4 is an exemplary block diagram schematically illustrating thestorage device according to the embodiment. The storage device 100includes a switch control circuit 120 a, a power source circuit 130, anda processor 140. The switch control circuit 120 a is an example of aswitch control unit 120. In this embodiment, the switch control circuit120 a is provided on the circuit board 102, by a plurality of elements(electronic components) are mounted on the circuit board 102. The powersource circuit 130 includes a switch and a fuse. The switch controlcircuit 120 a (the switch control unit 120) and the power source circuit130 will be described in detail below. In each unit included in theprocessor 140, the electric power is supplied from the power sourcecircuit 130. Further, in FIG. 4, the memory 103, the controller 104, andthe data buffer 105 are illustrated separately, but the number of therespective components is not limited to 1. Further, the processor 140 isa name for convenience sake. The processor 140 may be an SSD formed inone integrated package.

The memory 103 is a nonvolatile memory, and for example a NAND flashmemory. The memory 103 is not limited to the NAND flash memory, and maybe a resistance random access memory (RERAM) or a ferroelectric randomaccess memory (FERAM). In addition, the memory 103 stores user datatransmitted from the outside (the host device and the server device) ofthe storage device 100, or system data used only in the storage device100. In addition, the memory 103 includes a memory cell array in which aplurality of memory cells (not illustrated) are arranged in a matrixshape. Each of the memory cells can store binary value or multi-valuedata. In addition, the memory 103 includes a plurality of memory chips.

The data buffer 105 temporarily stores the data. The data buffer 105,for example, is a dynamic static random access memory (DRAM). Further,the data buffer 105 is not limited to the DRAM, or may be a staticrandom access memory (SRAM). The data buffer 105 may be independentlyprovided from the controller 104, or may be mounted as a memoryincorporated in the chip of the controller 104.

The controller 104 controls the storage device 100. The function of thecontroller 104, for example, is realized by a processor which executesfirmware stored in a read only memory (ROM) of the memory 103 or thecontroller 104, or hardware. The controller 104 reads out the data fromthe memory 103, or writes the data in the memory 103 according to acommand from the host device.

The interface unit 107 has a plurality of pins (terminals) through whichelectrical signals or the power is transferred with respect to anexternal device. The interface unit 107 is configured in conformity to aserial attached SCSI (SAS).

FIG. 5 is a table listing an example of pin assignment of a power sourceinterface in conformity to the SAS. As illustrated in FIG. 5, in thepower source interface of the SAS, total 15 pins P1 to P15 (terminals)are provided, and among them, the ground is assigned to the pins P4 toP6, a 5 [V] power is assigned to the pins P7 to P9, the ground isassigned to the pins P10 to P12, and a 12 [V] power is assigned to thepins P13 to P15. In addition, in the case of SAS1, SAS2, and SAS2.1, a3.3 [V] power is assigned to the pins P1 to P3. On the other hand, inthe case of SAS3, the pins P1 and P2 are differently specified dependingon a vender of the host device (the server device), and the pin P3 isassigned depending on a vender of the host device or assigned with thecontrol signal (power disable) which is used to stop the supplying ofthe power from the host to the storage device. Further, regarding thestorage device connected to the host device, it is defined that the pinsP1 to P3 are electrically connected to each other in the case of SAS1,SAS2, and SAS2.1, and the pins P1 and P2 are electrically connected toeach other in the case of SAS3.

In this way, in the SAS standard, the pin assignment of the pins P1 toP3 are different between the legacy systems SAS1, SAS2, and SAS2.1 and anew system SAS3.

There is a host device in conformity to SAS1, SAS2, and SAS2.1 which areavailable so far, and the storage device in conformity to SAS3 may bedesirably integrated (connected) to the hose device in conformity toSAS1, SAS2, and SAS2.1 as well as the host device in conformity to SAS3.

However, as described above, in a case where the pin assignment isdifferent according to the standard, it may be difficult to use thestorage device in conformity to one standard in the host device ofanother standard. Specifically, for example, regarding the power sourceinterface of the above-mentioned SAS, in a case where the storage deviceusing the control signal (power disable) of the pin P3 in conformity toSAS3, for example, is integrated to the host device which is inconformity to SAS1 and applies the 3.3 [V] voltage to the pin P3, thepotential of the pin P3 of the storage device becomes always 3.3 [V]. Inthis case, the storage device performs its operation in a case where thecontrol signal through the pin P3 is always at the high level. In thestorage device corresponding to the power disable, a switch to switchthe supplying of the power and the stopping of the supply is provided,and the high level of the control signal through the pin P3 correspondsto a command of the disconnection (turning off switch or stopping thepower supplying) to the switch. Accordingly, in this case, since thestorage device keeps the disconnected status of the switch based on 3.3[V] (that is, the high level of the power disable) of the pin P3, thestorage device is not supplied with the power. Therefore, the storagedevice using the control signal (power disable) of the pin P3 inconformity to SAS3 may be not used as it is, in the server device inconformity to SAS1.

In the storage device 100 according to this embodiment, there isprovided the switch control unit 120 which can avoid such a situation.The switch control unit 120 controls the switch based on the electricalstatuses of the pins P1 to P3 using the feature that the electricalstatuses of the pins P1 to P3 are different according to the standard ofthe host device and the control signal from the host device. Further,the host device, for example, is the data center 1, the server farm 2,or the server module 5. In addition, the pins P1 to P3 and theabove-mentioned pins P4 to P15 are included in the interface unit 107.

FIG. 6 is a table listing the electrical statuses of the pins P1 to P3according to the specifications (SAS1, SAS2, SAS2.1, and SAS3) of theinterface of the host device. In FIG. 6, the electrical statuses of thepins P1 to P3 are listed with respect to the following fourspecifications (1) to (4) described below. The types of (1) to (4) aretypical specifications which are practically used at the moment.

(1) The host device which is in conformity to SAS1/2/2.1 and appliedwith 3.3 [V].

(2) The host device which is in conformity to SAS1/2/2.1 and not appliedwith 3.3 [V].

(3) The host device which is in conformity to SAS3 and corresponds tothe power disable.

(4) The host device which is in conformity to SAS3 and does notcorrespond to the power disable.

In FIG. 6, “H” indicates the high level, “L” indicates the low level,and “NC” indicates a non-connection status. In addition, thenon-connection status may be also called an open status or a floatingstatus. In addition, “SW” indicates the switch, “C” indicates theconnection status of the switch, “AC” is an always connection status ofthe switch, and “S” indicates the disconnection status of the switch. Asdescribed above, since the pins P1 and P2 are electrically connected toeach other even in the SAS3, the electrical statuses of the pins P1 andP2 are the same. The switch control unit 120 according to thisembodiment sets the status of the switch illustrated in FIG. 6 accordingto a combination of the electrical statuses (for example, the potential)of the pins P1 and P2 and the pin P3 illustrated in FIG. 6. Therefore,even in a case where any host device of any one of the specifications(1) to (4) is connected, an expected process is performed while avoidingthe above-mentioned defective situation. In this embodiment, the pins P1and P2 are an example of the first terminal, the pin P3 is an example ofthe second terminal, and the pins P7 to P9 and P13 to P15 are an exampleof the third terminal.

FIG. 7 is an exemplary circuit diagram schematically illustrating theswitch control unit 120. As illustrated in FIG. 7, in this embodiment,the switch control unit 120 includes a logical circuit 160 whichcontains logical gates such as a NOT circuit 161 (an inverter) and anAND circuit 162. In other words, the switch control unit 120 generates asignal Ss which is used to switch the connection and the disconnectionof the switches SW1 and SW2 (SW of FIG. 6) through a logical operationusing the high level and the low level which are set by the electricalstatuses (for example, the potentials) of the pin P1 (or the pin P2) andthe pin P3. The high level and the low level, for example, are setaccording to a magnitude with respect to a threshold of a predeterminedpotential. In the case of the SAS, the high level is set to about 3.3[V] as the potential of the power source, and the low level is set toabout 0 [V] as the potential of the ground. Further, the logical circuit160 illustrated in FIG. 7 is an example, and the switch control unit 120may include a logical circuit which is equivalent to the circuitillustrated in FIG. 7 and includes different logical gates therefrom.Further, as described above, since the pin P2 is electrically connectedto the pin P1, the description in this specification may be made aboutthe pin P1 as a representative of the pin P1 and the pin P2.

In addition, in the case of the non-connection status (NC), since thepins P1 to P3 are not electrically connected to both of a conductiveportion having the potential of the power source and a conductiveportion having the potential of the ground in the host device, thepotentials of the pins P1 to P3 in this status become a potential(another potential) different from those of the power source and theground (the floating status) as it is. Accordingly, the floating statuscan be identified by providing a configuration to detect anotherpotential. In addition, since impedance in the floating status becomeslarger, the floating status can be identified by the impedance. In thisembodiment, as an example, a pull-down circuit 150 having a resistanceRp (a pull-down resistance) is provided in between the pin P1 and theground GND and between the pin P3 and the ground GND. Therefore, theswitch control unit 120 identifies the non-connection status as the lowlevel, and can perform an arithmetic process with relative ease.Further, in the example of FIG. 6, there is no problem caused by settingthe non-connection status to the low level. In addition, a resistancevalue of the resistance Rp is set to a value which can be kept at thehigh level in a case where the pin P1 and the pin P3 are at the highlevel. The resistance Rp and the pull-down circuit 150 connected to thepin P1 are an example of a first resistance and a first pull-downcircuit, and the resistance Rp and the pull-down circuit 150 connectedto the pin P3 are an example of a second resistance and a secondpull-down circuit.

In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 7, in the switch control unit 120, aresistance Rh is provided in series with the pin P1, and the resistanceRh is provided in series with the pin P3. With such a configuration,even in a case where the power is steeply increased when the switchesSW1 and SW2 are switched from the disconnection status to the connectionstatus, the energy can be consumed by the resistance Rh. In other words,in the switch control unit 120, it is possible to suppress the powerfrom being steeply increased in a portion opposite to the host devicecompared to the resistance Rh. In this embodiment, the resistance Rh isprovided between the processor 140 and the pins P1 and P3 (that is,between the logical gates (the NOT circuit 161 and the AND circuit 162)and the pins P1 and P3).

In addition, a capacitor Cf is provided between the pin P1 and theground GND, and the capacitor Cf is provided between the pin P3 and theground GND. Therefore, it is possible to remove high frequencycomponents from the power input from the pin P1 or P3 to the switchcontrol unit 120.

In the logical circuit 160, the NOT circuit 161 inverses the high leveland the low level of the potential of the pin P1 and outputs theinverted potential. In addition, the AND circuit 162 outputs a logicalproduct of the level of the output potential of the NOT circuit 161 andthe level of the potential of the pin P3. In a case where the outputpotential of the AND circuit 162 is at the low level, the switches SW1and SW2 enter the disconnection status.

In FIG. 8, the level of the signal Ss output by the logical circuit 160corresponding to the levels of the potentials of the pin P1 and the pinP2, and the status of the switch are illustrated. As can be seen fromFIG. 8,

(a) in a case where the pin P1 is at the high level and the pin P3 is atthe high level, the signal Ss as the output of the logical circuit 160enters the low level, and in this case, the switches SW1 and SW2 enterthe connection status. This case corresponds to (1) of FIG. 6.

(b) In a case where the pin P1 is at the low level and the pin P3 is atthe low level, the signal Ss as the output of the logical circuit 160enters the low level, and in this case, the switches SW1 and SW2 enterthe connection status. This case corresponds to (2), a case where thepin P3 of (3) of FIG. 6 is at the level L, and to a case where the pinP1 of (4) is at the level L or the status NC.

(c) In a case where the pin P1 is at the low level and the pin P3 is atthe high level, the signal Ss as the output of the logical circuit 160enters the high level, and in this case, the switches SW1 and SW2 enterthe disconnection status. This case corresponds to a case where the pinP3 of (3) of FIG. 6 is at the level H.

(d) In a case where the pin P1 is at the high level and the pin P3 is atthe low level, the signal Ss of the logical circuit 160 enters the lowlevel, and in this case, the switches SW1 and SW2 enter the connectionstatus. This case corresponds to a case where the pin P1 of (4) of FIG.6 is at the level H.

In this way, according to the switch control unit 120 of thisembodiment, all the cases illustrated in FIG. 6 can be handled. In otherwords, even in a case where the storage device of this embodiment isconnected to any one of the host devices (1) to (4) in conformity to thetypical SAS interface illustrated in FIG. 6, an expected process can beperformed without an unexpected disconnection of the switches SW1 andSW2.

In addition, in this embodiment, a delay circuit 170 is provided betweenthe logical circuit 160 and the switches SW1 and SW2 (that is, betweenthe AND circuit 162 and the switches SW1 and SW2). The delay circuit 170includes a capacitor Cd which is provided between the logical circuit160 (the AND circuit 162) and the ground GND. With the delay circuit170, the signal Ss transmitted from the switch control unit 120 to theswitches SW1 and SW2 can be delayed. In addition, with the delay circuit170, it is possible to remove high frequency components from the signalSs. Further, in the power source circuit 130, a fuse 131 is providedbetween the pins P7 to P9 through which the 5 [V] power is supplied andthe switch SW1, and between the pins P13 to P15 through which the 12 [V]power is supplied and the switch SW2.

In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 7, in this embodiment, the power ofthe logical circuit 160 is introduced from the power source circuit 130.In other words, the switch control unit 120 is configured to operate bythe power supplied through the pins P7 to P9 or the pins P13 to P15.However, as described above, the switch control unit 120 operates at 3.3[V], the pins P7 to P9 operate at 5 [V], and the pins P13 to P15 operateat 12 [V]. Therefore, a potential adjusting unit 163 is provided betweenthe pins P7 to P9 or the pins P13 to P15 and the logical circuit 160 toconvert the potential from 5 [V] or 12 [V] to 3.3 [V]. The potentialadjusting unit 163, for example, may include a low drop out (LDO)serving as a voltage regulator or a DC-DC converter (DDC). Further, thevoltage adjusting unit 163 may obtain 3.3 [V] from any one of 5 [V] and12 [V].

In FIG. 9, a processing procedure in the host device and the storagedevice corresponding to the power disable is illustrated. As illustratedin FIG. 9, when an abnormality is detected (SH1), the host devicetransmits the control signal (power disable) to the storage device 100(SH2). The transmission of the control signal in SH2 corresponds to atransition in the potential of the pin P3 from the low level to the highlevel. When a transition (a transition of the electrical status) occursin the potential of the pin P3 (SS1), the storage device 100 performs adata storing process (SS2). The data storing process in SS2 is alsocalled a power loss protection (PLP). Specifically, the controller 104performs ending of the data reading or writing, discarding of a queue,and backing up of a logical/physical addresses transmission table as thePLP. In this embodiment, since the above-mentioned delay circuit 170(see FIG. 7) is provided, the process of the PLP in SS2 is more reliablyperformed. In other words, a process time of the PLP can be morereliably secured. Next, at a timing after the process of the PLP isended, the switches SW1 and SW2 enter the disconnection status by thesignal Ss which is output according to the operation in the logicalcircuit 160 of the switch control unit 120 based on the transition inthe potential of the pin P3 (SS3). On the other hand, the host devicemeasures an elapsed time after the control signal (power disable) istransmitted, and when a predetermined time is elapsed (SH3), the hostdevice transmits the control signal (power enable) to the storage device100 (SH4). The transmission of the control signal in SH4 corresponds toa transition in the potential of the pin P3 from the high level to thelow level. In the storage device 100, when a transition (a transition inthe electrical status) in the potential of the pin P3 occurs from thehigh level to the low level (SS4), the switches SW1 and SW2 enter theconnection status by the signal Ss which is output according to theoperation in the logical circuit 160 of the switch control unit 120based on the transition in the potential of the pin P3 (SS5). Therefore,the storage device 100 is reactivated.

In the storage device 100 of the above-mentioned embodiment, thestatuses of the switches SW1 and SW2 are different according to thepotentials (the electrical statuses) of the pin P1 (the first terminal)and the pin P3 (the second terminal).

Specifically, as illustrated in (a) of FIG. 8, in a case where thepotential of the pin P3 is at the high level, and the potential of thepin P1 is at the high level, the switches SW1 and SW2 are controlled toenter the connection status. Since this case corresponds to the case ofthe specification (1) illustrated in FIG. 6, an expected status is thatthe switches SW1 and SW2 are in the connection status. The device of thespecification (1) of FIG. 6 (that is, a device which is in conformity toSAS1, SAS2, and SAS2.1 and has a specification that 3.3 [V] is appliedto the pins P1 to P3) is an example of the first device of thisembodiment.

In addition, as illustrated in (c) of FIG. 8, in a case where thepotential of the pin P3 is at the high level and the potential of thepin P1 is at the low level, the switches SW1 and SW2 are controlled toenter the disconnection status. Since this case corresponds to the casewhere the potential of the pin P3 of the specification (3) illustratedin FIG. 6 is at the high level, an expected status is the disconnectionstatus of the switches SW1 and SW2. The device of the specification (3)of FIG. 6 (that is, a device which is in conformity to SAS3 and has aspecification corresponding to the power disable) is an example of thesecond device of this embodiment. Further, as described above, in thisembodiment, the non-connection statuses (NC) of the pin P1 and the pinP3 can be handled as the low level by the pull-down circuit 150.

In addition, as illustrated in (b) and (d) of FIG. 8, in a case wherethe potential of the pin P3 is at the low level, the switches SW1 andSW2 are controlled to enter the connection status regardless of thepotential of the pin P1. Since this case corresponds to the case of thespecification (2), the case of the specification (4), and the case wherethe potential of the pin P3 of the specifications (3) is at the lowlevel illustrated in FIG. 6, an expected status is the connection statusof the switches SW1 and SW2. The device of the specification (2) and thedevice of the specification (4) of FIG. 6 (that is, a device which is inconformity to SAS1, SAS2, and SAS2.1 and has a specification that 3.3[V] is not applied to the pins P1 to P3), and a device which is inconformity to SAS3 and has a specification that does not correspond tothe power disable are examples of the third devices of this embodiment.

In this way, according to this embodiment, since the switch control unit120 switches the connection status and the disconnection status of theswitches SW1 and SW2 according to the electrical statuses of the pin P1and the pin P3, an expected connection statuses of the switches SW1 andSW2 corresponding to the specification of the host device and thecontrol signal are easily obtained.

In addition, in this embodiment, the switch control unit 120 includesthe logical circuit 160. Therefore, it is possible to obtain the switchcontrol unit 120 which controls the switches SW1 and SW2 to enter anexpected status according to the specification and the control signal asa relatively simple configuration.

<First Modification>

FIG. 10 is an exemplary block diagram schematically illustrating astorage device of a first modification. As illustrated in FIG. 10, in astorage device 100A of this modification, the switch control unit 120 isconfigured as a switch control element 120 b. The switch control element120 b, for example, may be configured as a semiconductor element or anintegrated circuit such as an application specific integrated circuit(ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or a programmable logicdevice (PLD). The same effects (results) as those of the aboveembodiment can be obtained in this modification.

<Second Modification>

FIG. 11 is an exemplary block diagram schematically illustrating astorage device of a second modification. As illustrated in FIG. 11, in astorage device 100B of this modification, a switch control unit 120 c(120) is included in the controller 104. In other words, the controller104 performs the arithmetic process according to a program (software)such as firmware, so that a function of the switch control unit 120 c isrealized together with a function of the conventional storage controlunit 104 a. The same effects (results) as those of the above embodimentare obtained in this modification.

FIG. 12 is an exemplary flowchart schematically illustrating aprocessing procedure performed by the storage device of the secondmodification. In FIG. 12, a process of the power disable is illustrated.First, the controller 104 serving as the switch control unit 120 c (120)detects the potentials (the electrical statuses) of the pins P1 and P3(terminals) (S1). In a case where the potential of the pin P3 is at thehigh level (Yes in S2) and the potentials of the pins P1 and P2 are atthe low level or at another level different from the high level and thelow level (Yes in S3), the controller 104 performs a data storingprocess such as the PLP (S4), and controls the switches SW1 and SW2 toenter the disconnection status (S5). Next, the controller 104 detectsthe potentials (the electrical statuses) of the pins P1 and P3(terminals) (S6). In a case where the potential of the pin P3 is at thelow level or at another level different from the high level and the lowlevel (Yes in S7), the controller 104 controls the switches SW1 and SW2to enter the connection status (S8). In S8, the storage device 100B isreactivated. Further, in the case of No in S2 and No in S3, the flow ofFIG. 12 is not performed. In addition, in the case of No in S7, theprocedure returns to S6.

In addition, the storage device 100 according to the above embodiment,the modification, or an equivalent thereof may be applied to any deviceother than the server device. FIG. 13 is an exemplary perspective viewillustrating an electronic apparatus in which the storage device of theembodiment is assembled. As illustrated in FIG. 13, the storage device100 may be used in the electronic apparatus 50 such as a personalcomputer. The electronic apparatus 50 includes housings 51 and 52, adisplay 53, and an input device 54. The housing 51 and the housing 52are rotatably connected to each other through a hinge member 56. Thedisplay 53 is contained in the housing 51 in a state where a displayscreen 53 a is exposed, and the input device 54 is contained in thehousing 52 in a state where an input unit 54 a is exposed. The display53, for example, is an LCD or an OELD. The input device 54, for example,is a keyboard, a pointing device, or click buttons. In addition, in thehousing 52, a circuit board 55 in which electronic components (notillustrated) such as a central processing unit (CPU) 57 and thecontroller are built, and the storage device 100 is contained. Thecircuit board 55 and the storage device 100 are electrically connectedto each other through a wiring such as a flexible printed wiring board,a connector 58 provided in the electronic apparatus 50, or the interfaceunit 107 of the storage device 100 connected to the connector 58. Theinterface units 58 and 107 transmit a signal between the electronicapparatus 50 and the storage device 100. The electronic apparatus 50 isan example of the host device, the CPU 57 is an example of the hostcontrol unit 231 (the control unit 23). Further, the host control unit231 may be any unit other than the CPU 57. In addition, the electronicapparatus is not limited to a clamshell PC, but may be a desktop PC orother electronic apparatuses.

While the present embodiments have been exemplified above, the presentembodiments are examples and not intended to limit the scope of theinvention. The present embodiments can be implemented in other variousmodes, and various kinds of omission, replacement, combination, andchange can be made in the scope without departing from the gist of thepresent invention. The present embodiments are included in the scope andgist of the invention and further included in the scope equivalent tothe inventions recited in the scope of claims. Further, the structuresand shapes in the respective present embodiments and modified examplecan be partially switched for implementation. Additionally, thespecification such as the respective structures and shapes (structure,type, direction, shape, size, length, width, thickness, height, number,arrangement, position, material, etc.) can be suitably changed forimplementation.

1. A server device comprising: a power supply circuit; and a pluralityof storage devices, wherein one of the storage devices is configured tobe connectable to another server device, the storage device comprising:a memory configured to store data; a control circuit configured tocontrol writing of data to the memory and reading of data from thememory; an interface circuit that includes at least a first terminal, asecond terminal, and a third terminal, the third terminal being aterminal through which a first power having a first voltage is suppliedto the storage device, and a switch control circuit configured tocontrol switching between a connection status and a disconnection statusbased on statuses of the first terminal and the second terminal, theconnection status representing that power corresponding to the firstpower is supplied to the control circuit and the memory, thedisconnection status representing that the power corresponding to thefirst power is not supplied to the control circuit and the memory,wherein while the storage device and the server device are connected,the first terminal has a first status, and the second terminal has asecond status representing that a second power having a second voltageis supplied to the storage device therethrough, and while the storagedevice and the another server device are connected, the first terminalhas a third status different from the first status, and the secondterminal has a fourth status representing that a control signal is inputfrom the another server device to the storage device therethrough. 2.The server device according to claim 1, wherein the switch controlcircuit is configured to control the switching between the connectionstatus and the disconnection status based on the status of the firstterminal such that the connection status is obtained in a case where thestatus of the first terminal is the first status, and the connectionstatus and the disconnection status are switched according to thecontrol signal in a case where the status of the first terminal is thethird status.
 3. The server device according to claim 1 wherein thestorage device is further connectable to a third device, and while thestorage device and the the third device are connected, a third powerhaving a third voltage is supplied to the storage device through thethird terminal, and either the first power or the control signal is notinput to the storage device through the second terminal, and the switchcontrol circuit is configured to control the switching to the connectionstatus in the case where the storage device and the third device areconnected.
 4. The server device according to claim 1, wherein in a casewhere potential of the first terminal is at a high level and potentialof the second terminal is at a high level, the connection status isobtained, and in a case where the potential of the first terminal is ata low level that is lower than the high level or at another leveldifferent from the high level and the low level and the potential of thesecond terminal is at the high level, the disconnection status isobtained.
 5. The server device according to claim 1, wherein in a casewhere potential of the second terminal is at a low level that is lowerthan the high level or another level different from a high level and thelow level, the connection status is obtained regardless of potential ofthe first terminal.
 6. The server device according to claim 1, whereinthe switch control circuit includes a logical circuit which performs alogical operation based on levels of the potentials of the firstterminal and the second terminal.
 7. The server device according toclaim 1, wherein the first terminal is any one of P1 pin and P2 pin of apower source interface in the SAS standard, the second terminal is P3pin of the power source interface, and the third terminal is any one ofP7 pin, P8 pin, P9 pin, P13 pin, P14 pin, and P15 pin of the powersource interface.
 8. A server device comprising: a power supply circuit;and a plurality of storage devices, wherein one of the storage devicesis configured to be connectable to another server device, the storagedevice comprising: a memory configured to store data; a first controlcircuit configured to control writing of data to the memory and readingof data from the memory; an interface circuit that includes at least afirst terminal, a second terminal, and a third terminal, the thirdterminal being a terminal through which a first power having a firstvoltage is supplied to the storage device in a case where the storagedevice and the another server device are connected, and a second controlcircuit configured to control switching between a connection status anda disconnection status based on statuses of the first terminal and thesecond terminal, the connection status representing that powercorresponding to the first power is supplied to the first controlcircuit and the memory, the disconnection status representing that thepower corresponding to the first power is not supplied to the firstcontrol circuit and the memory, wherein while the storage device and theserver device are connected, the first terminal and the second terminalhave the same status, and while the storage device and the anotherserver device are connected, the second terminal serves as a terminalthrough which a control signal is input from the another server deviceto the storage device.
 9. The server device according to claim 8,wherein the second control circuit is configured to control theswitching between the connection status and the disconnection statusbased on the status of the first terminal such that the connectionstatus is obtained in a case where the first terminal is connected tothe server device, and the connection status and the disconnectionstatus are switched according to the control signal in a case where thefirst terminal is connected to the another server device.
 10. The serverdevice according to claim 8 wherein the storage device is furtherconnectable to a third device, and while the storage device and thethird device are connected, the first power is supplied to the storagedevice through the third terminal, and either a second power having asecond voltage or the control signal is not input to the storage devicethrough the second terminal, and the second control circuit isconfigured to control the switching to the connection status in the casewhere the storage device and the third device are connected.
 11. Theserver device according to claim 8, wherein in a case where potential ofthe first terminal is at a high level and potential of the secondterminal is at a high level, the connection status is obtained, and in acase where the potential of the first terminal is at a low level that islower than the high level or at another level different from the highlevel and the low level and the potential of the second terminal is atthe high level, the disconnection status is obtained.
 12. The serverdevice according to claim 8, wherein in a case where potential of thesecond terminal is at a low level that is lower than the high level oranother level different from a high level and the low level, theconnection status is obtained regardless of potential of the firstterminal.
 13. The server device according to claim 8, wherein the secondcontrol circuit includes a logical circuit which performs a logicaloperation based on levels of the potentials of the first terminal andthe second terminal.
 14. The server device according to claim 8, whereinthe first terminal is any one of P1 pin and P2 pin of a power sourceinterface in the SAS standard, the second terminal is P3 pin of thepower source interface, and the third terminal is any one of P7 pin, P8pin, P9 pin, P13 pin, P14 pin, and P15 pin of the power sourceinterface.
 15. A server device comprising: a power supply circuit; and aplurality of storage devices, wherein one of the storage devices isconfigured to be connectable to another server device, the storagedevice comprising: a memory configured to store data; a first controlcircuit configured to control writing of data to the memory and readingof data from the memory; an interface circuit that includes at least afirst terminal and a second terminal, and a second control circuitconfigured to control switching between a first status and a secondstatus based on statuses of the first terminal and the second terminal,the first status representing that the interface circuit is electricallyconnected to the first control circuit and the memory, the second statusrepresenting that the interface circuit is electrically disconnectedfrom the first control circuit and the memory, wherein while the storagedevice and the server device are connected, the first terminal has athird status, and the second terminal has a fourth status representingthat a first power having a first voltage is supplied to the storagedevice therethrough, and while the storage device and the another serverdevice are connected, the first terminal has a fifth status differentfrom the third status, and the second terminal has a sixth statusrepresenting that a control signal is input from the server device tothe storage device therethrough.
 16. The server device according toclaim 15, wherein the second control circuit is configured to controlthe switching between the first status and the second status based onthe status of the first terminal and the status of the second terminaland the status of the second terminal such that the first status isobtained in a case where the first terminal has the third status and thesecond terminal has the fourth status, and the first status and thesecond status are switched according to the control signal in a casewhere the first terminal has the fifth status and the second terminalhas the sixth status.
 17. The server device according to claim 15wherein the storage device is further connectable to a third device, andwhile the storage device and the third device are connected, a thirdpower having a third voltage is supplied to the storage device, andeither the control signal or a second power having a second voltage isnot input to the storage device through the second terminal, and thesecond control circuit is configured to control the switching to thefirst status in the case where the storage device and the third deviceare connected.
 18. The server device according to claim 15, wherein in acase where potential of the first terminal is at a high level andpotential of the second terminal is at a high level, the first status isobtained, and in a case where the potential of the first terminal is ata low level that is lower than the high level or at another leveldifferent from the high level and the low level and the potential of thesecond terminal is at the high level, the second status is obtained. 19.The server device according to claim 15, wherein in a case wherepotential of the second terminal is at a low level that is lower thanthe high level or another level different from a high level and the lowlevel, the first status is obtained regardless of potential of the firstterminal.
 20. The server device according to claim 15, wherein thesecond control circuit includes a logical circuit which performs alogical operation based on levels of the potentials of the firstterminal and the second terminal.
 21. The server device according toclaim 15, wherein the first terminal is any one of P1 pin and P2 pin ofa power source interface in the SAS standard, and the second terminal isP3 pin of the power source interface.